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Friday, March 12, 2010

Alice in Wonderland. . .a mom's view...

so. . .after reading some reviews online, I decided to cave and take my 9 YO to see Alice in Wonderland today. The overall message I received was that there was violence (of a "fantasy" nature), and an intense dragon slaying scene - there was no bad language or nudity/sexual content. The reviews I read all said it was fine for "older" children, tweens and teens. It was PG - not PG-13.

Off with their heads! Having seen the movie, I would not recommend it for anyone under 12.

While there are no bad words or nudity - there is the illusion of sexual activity and words that are sexual in nature (seduction, lust, etc.) The scene where Alice's Brother in Law is making out with another woman - adds NO content to the film - and begs for questions about "cheating". And after that - every time Alice grew or shrunk, I was worried her dress wouldn't be able to keep up!

I know it's a Tim Burton movie with Johnny Depp in it. . .but it was dark and weird and highly suspenseful. The "beasts" were scary and loud. The army was extremely "militant".

Now mind you - my 9 YO enjoyed himself, and his 9 YO friend that came with us (thank GOD her mother came too!) assured me that she too enjoyed the movie.

Alice herself is a wonderful character and role model for young girls.

I also enjoyed the movie - and probably would have enjoyed it much more - if I hadn't been worried that I was scarring my child for life.

So you read it here moms and dads - 12 for the theater. . .9 or 10 is probably better for the TV when it comes out.

Its so frustrating because we want Hollywood to give us something worthy of sharing with our children under 12 but there is SO little that is truly designed for them. Its as if the world of media has been over run by creative talent that is trying to entertain itself on an equal level as our kids. Perfect example is guest appearances by actors like Jack Blak on Yo Gabba Gabba ~ LOVE him, no need for preschool TV crossover! Even Sesame Street has fallen farther down on this. As in all things, we can only choose with the info we have and thanks for helping me choose to wait on Alice.

This is frustrating because I keep asking people if it is a dark movie and everyone keeps telling me no. But I had a hard time believing that a Tim Burton movie could be anything but dark. I had taken my 10 yr old to see A Christmas Carol and should have walked out. It was way dark and scary, not at all intended for young kids or anyone for that matter. I am so thankful that you posted this and that Sarah shared the link because I was really thinking about taking my youngest 2 girls (10 and 14) tomorrow. Thank you again for sharing this.

A Bit About Me + My Blog:

Hi - I'm Hillary, a published author and lifestyle blogger living in the Philadelphia suburbs with my husband, two boys and an occasional cat. While I may be a work in progress, here on the blog I share posts that hopefully make your life just a little easier. We're all busy after all . . .but there just HAS to be a better way, right?

You can always contact me directly, any time via email at hchybinski@comcast.net

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